Survival Desalinator - MEC

kgd

kgd

Joined
Feb 28, 2007
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I know I'm not supposed to link and dash, but here is a link to a desalinator unit at Mountain Equipment Co-op made by Katadyn.

I thought the product is original, and albeit expensive ($950) it is still cheaper than some of the ship based ones I've seen that were on the order of 3k each. I've include a link to a retailer and the manufacturer. I'm not trying to endorse the retailer though.

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442594439&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302696751&bmUID=1222810119879

http://products.katadyn.com/brands-and-products/produkte/Survivor_34/Katadyn_Survivor_06_49.html

Obviously the technology isn't quite there yet. Filtering rate is limited to 890 mL/hour which is enough to survive on but certainly requires you to work at it. Also the 1.1 kg weight is hefty. Might have to leave the battle mistress behind!

I think it is good to see improvements in technology like this and nice to know that the desalinator niche is something that companies like Katedyne are serious in taking on. Maybe we will see faster, cheaper and ligher units in the future. Lets hope!
 
I'm afraid that were I in the market for such a thing (I'm not... yet) that I would have to double up on the cash and size to get the Survivor 35.

http://www.landfallnavigation.com/-sas35.html

Makes 1.2 Gallons per hour, vs .25 for the 06.

But, on the other hand, were I in the market for one, I would probably spend an additional grand to get the 12V version of the Survivor 40, which has fewer parts than the 35, but can still be converted to manual mode in emergencies. I'd rather have one of these low-amp models that could run for extended times on solar/wind power.

http://www.landfallnavigation.com/ps40.html
 
Thanks for the links foxhole. I'm not in the market either just because $1000 isn't something I'll dish out for a single emergency piece of equipment and doubling that is even further away.

That output certainly comes at a cost though. 3.2 kg for the SAS35 and 11+ kg for the Survivor 40. True to form though, if I bought a yacht, another 3-4 k to have one of these installed is a no-brainer.

When I first saw the katdyne model it popped into my head that one day these things might actually be packable. 1.1 kg is still a bit to heavy though.
 
So you manually pump these things for an hour and get under a liter of mostly desalinated water? It seems like you would sweat out that much from all the effort...
 
kgd,

Keep in mind that the 11kg for the powersurvivor 40 includes the motor etc. I'm sure that in "manual mode" you would leave most of that weight behind.
 
How about making a still for a lot less? Distilled water wouldn't have salt in it.
 
Yes distillation works but requires a bit of specialization. There is the basic plastic covering the tree or Les' pee still, but those take a long time and produce very little water. Then there is a fire driven that requires materials and fuel + fuel gathering time and costs.

Perhaps you can make a decent still with thin pipes of some type, buy I've yet to see a design (outside of solar stills that is basicall a plastic bag) that is light and packable. Good suggestion though.
 
I was just thinking that a handy sort of guy could come up with the parts for a fire-based still. I'd be gathering firewood in any event. And it would be less strain than the pumping. Okay, maybe it wouldn't be very portable, but definitely possible.
 
I had both the 35 and a 40 on 2 different sailboats in years past. They work well, but not without great effort for the 35; and a bit of noise with the 40 model. Also, they require maintenance in order to function properly, and one needs to really familiarize themselves with the instructions before you need them. They both are worth having for specific situations; but there are much easier and more portable units for land use IME.
 
I know of something that would work. I saw a video of it earlier on Discovery channel or something. It's cheap, maybe $30. But I don't know what it's called or where to get it. It floats in water and has a clear umbrella on top that allows solar energy to penetrate and help the water evaporate. The water vapor collect in the umbrella and pools the water into a small cup. Works on fresh or salt water though I imagine with salt water you would need to these in calm water. And you need several floating to provide the water needs for one. Maybe someone can find it or knows about it.
 
Yeah, there are other ways to purify water, but not very many that work on a life raft bobbing in the middle of the ocean. This is a pretty specific-needs piece of kit, but one you wouldn't want to be without if stuck in that situation.
 
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